Pressure wave therapy (also called shock wave therapy) is used for treatment of a number of physiological conditions. A radial pressure wave device generates acoustic pulses that may be used in therapeutic applications and may be beneficial in treating painful conditions involving tendons, muscles and joints. Other clinical objectives of radial pressure wave therapy may include increasing circulation, increasing metabolism, activating myofascial trigger points, treating disorders of tension insertion, and activation of muscle and connective tissue, to speed healing and decrease pain. Because patient characteristics and conditions vary widely, treatment settings (e.g., pressure wave and frequency) must be customized for each patient in order to achieve successful treatment without causing intolerable discomfort. However, many pressure wave therapy devices require an operator to specify treatment settings prior to treatment, before the patient or operator knows which settings will cause discomfort to the patient. With such systems, an operator estimates an appropriate setting and applies the pressure wave therapy device to the patient. If the patient experiences discomfort during the therapy, the operator stops the therapy session, manually re-adjusts the settings, then begins treatment again. This procedure is time-consuming and may cause extended pain and discomfort to the patient.